The manufacture of printed circuit boards typically involves the use of a printed circuit board support assembly for example for supporting a printed circuit board in a galvanic or electroplate installation. Such an assembly may include a contacting arrangement for use in the printed circuit board support assembly of such an installation; the contacting arrangement having contact members for contacting a respective printed circuit board. In this respect, attention may be directed to U.S. Pat. No 4 988 426 which discloses such a holding or contacting arrangement, which can also be referred to as a torsion bar-type support assembly. Such assemblies are also described in the prospectus issued by the present applicants and entitled `. . . modernste Leiterplatten-Produktion mit Roboter-Konzept` to which reference may therefor be made. However, such assemblies often leave something to be desired, in particular in regard to their repair-friendliness.
DE 30 27 751 C2 discloses an apparatus for the galvanic metallization of substrates having a non-conductive, durable and more especially U-shaped holding frame which is adapted to stably hold the substrates in the electrolyte and to provide contact with a contact bar which is connected as a cathode. That system has a shaped frame structure for carrying one or more substrates, and the frame structure is bridged at the top by the conductive contact bar and, in parallel relationship therewith, a non-conductive substrate abutment. Claw members for contacting the substrates are also fixed between the contact bar and the substrate abutment. Adjustable holders are also disposed at the top on the contact bar for conductively fixing the frame structure and the inside of the frame structure, which serves to accommodate the substrates, is at least partially covered by shielding means at the front and rear sides. That system, therefore, has a large number of individual components, and trot in turn has an effect on manipulation and operation of that system.
An apparatus for restricting down field lines in an electroplate or galvanic installation for the treatment of substantially plate-like workpieces such as printed circuit boards which are introduced into a suitable treatment bath in a condition of being suspended on an article carrier; the apparatus having a shield member which is guided on the bath container displaceably in a vertical direction, is to be found in DE 40 05 209 C2. The article carrier of that apparatus carries a holddown member which is displaceable in respect of height and which is mounted in such a way that it can be fixed in a respective set position and which moves the shield members that are arranged laterally of the workpieces to be galvanized into a preselected position when the article carrier is introduced into the treatment station.